• CVAF will expedite development of treatment vaccines for a wide variety of cancers by providing catalytic funding, scientific leadership, and valuable clinical resources for phase I/II clinical trials
• Breaks down the barriers that slow cancer vaccine development and lowers the hurdle to industry investment
• CVAF will kick-start development of several promising cancer vaccines each year to drive approval of an expected 2-3 new, highly effective therapies for patients over a ten year time horizon

• Donations to CVAF are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law, but CVAF investments are also structured to generate attractive returns on investment back to the charity if supported vaccines reach FDA approval
• CVAF will seek to sustain and grow its support for cancer vaccine trials through reinvestment of these returns
• Business leadership (due diligence, investment negotiations) led by healthcare private equity professionals and distinguished board of senior investors

• Joint leadership by the Cancer Research Institute and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research provides sophisticated in-house business, clinical trials management, and licensing capabilities
• Clinical trials program draws upon the collective efforts of over 70 of the field’s leading scientists and oncologists from more than twenty leading cancer research institutions around the world
• Unparalleled track record of more than 40 clinical trials involving nearly 800 patients conducted over past decade

• Proven: The immune system’s natural ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells has been well-established by scientists and companies around the world through direct clinical observation. Extraordinary, complete regressions have already been achieved in cancers previously viewed to be untreatable.
  
• Superior: Unlike standard radiation and chemotherapies, the immune system can specifically target cancer cells for elimination without harming normal tissue (i.e., fewer serious side effects), including tumor cells that may have gone undetected, as well as those that may have spread (metastasized) throughout the body
  
• Universal: Applicable to a wide variety of cancers today and eventually all cancers
  
• Near-term: First generation cancer vaccines are beginning to receive FDA approval (prostate cancer vaccine Provenge approved April 2010; approximately 15 others are currently in late-stage clinical trials)

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Obstacle 1: 

Cancer vaccines are much harder to refine than standard therapies because they must include multiple components

Unlike most traditional drugs which consist of a single agent, in order for a vaccine to achieve an optimal immune response against cancer, several different components must be brought together and used in combination.  To efficiently identify the combinations of agents that work best together so that optimal cancer vaccines can be developed, the field requires: (a) a greater degree of coordination across disparate companies that own individual agents; and (b) more rigorous laboratory study of the comparative effects of different vaccine combinations on patients.

CVAF has developed an innovative clinical trials infrastructure that addresses both of these unmet needs

Obstacle 2: 

There is a severe shortage of funding for early stage cancer vaccine clinical trials

Government and most non-profits focus their support on the early stages of basic (academic) laboratory research, leaving companies and for-profit investors to fund the clinical trials required for drug development.  However, because most new drugs fail to make it all the way from phase I to FDA approval, for-profit entities have also demonstrated a reluctance to fund the earliest stages of clinical development.  As a result, there is insufficient funding available for phase I trials and a corresponding backlog of promising new cancer vaccines.

CVAF addresses this funding gap to ensure that the best new cancer vaccines can move into clinical trials

• Opportunity to become a critical early backer of a revolutionary new class of cancer treatments at a time when success is finally within reach
• Immediately provide some of the most promising cancer vaccines ever developed to patients in need (via clinical trials)
• Potential for significantly magnified and extended philanthropic impact through future returns to CVAF on its investments
• Highly selective screening process driven by the field’s leading cancer vaccine experts and supported by professional business and legal due diligence and negotiations
• Maximum leverage for each donor dollar through a collaborative effort involving leading cancer research institutions, scientists, oncologists, and professionals from around the world

  

Principal Directors
–Donald J. Gogel, President & CEO, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
–Michael M. Kellen, Vice Chairman, Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisors
–Lief D. Rosenblatt, Senior Principal, Satellite Asset Management
–Paul C. Shiverick, Partner, Seminole Management Co
–Frank V. Sica, Partner, Menemsha Capital Partners

Directors
–Edgar R. Berner, Partner, John Lang, Inc
–Peter L. Bloom, Managing Director, General Atlantic
–Richard M. DeMartini, Managing Director, Crestview Partners
–John B. Fitzgibbons, Owner, J Fitzgibbons LLC
–Alexander P. Lynch, Chairman, North American M&A Group, JP Morgan
–Thomas G. Mendell, Owner, T.G. Mendell Corp
–Andrew M. Paul, Managing General Partner, Enhanced Equity Fund

To learn more, please contact:

Adam Kolom, Managing Director, CVAF
(212) 792-5214     akolom@cancerresearch.org